Amid huge buyouts emptying Athletic Departments’ budgets, college football programs are seemingly finding ’causes’ to fire their head coaches. On December 12, the Ohio president sent a notice of intent to terminate head coach Brian Smith’s employment. The University gave Smith four days to respond, and finally, on December 17, it fired the head coach for cause, which Smith claims was wrong and has tarnished his image.

As per reports, Smith was allegedly fired for engaging in “serious professional misconduct” and for participating in activities that reflected poorly on the program. The program accused the former head coach of having participated in “extramarital affairs,” including one with an “undergraduate” student. It also alleged that Smith participated in a University event while intoxicated. However, the former HC denies all claims, alleges foul play, and has sued the program.

“The University rushed to judgment, ignored its contractual obligations, and prioritized its financial interest over a fair process,” Smith’s attorney Rex Elliot said in a statement. “This case is about accountability. OU’s actions have irreparably harmed Coach Smith’s coaching career, and he is owed the full balance of his contractually agreed-upon compensation.

“Coach Brian Smith filed a complaint today against Ohio University, alleging the University breached his employment agreement. Wrongfully terminating him based on conduct and allegations that fall nowhere near the standard required under his contract.”

The suit has been filed in the Court of Claims of Ohio. It alleges that the University’s decision destroyed Smith’s career and his reputation as head football coach. The program also failed to conduct a “meaningful investigation” and publicly linked his name to “allegations of sexual misconduct,” which were neither adjudicated nor proven.

“The University rushed to judgment and retrofitted a corrective reprimand and a permissible consensual relationship into grounds for termination,” the lawsuit reads. “The University did so knowing that the allegations were disputed and unproven. This was not a mistake. It was a choice. Ohio University chose expedience over fairness, optics over truth, and institutional self-protection over contractual obligation. This action seeks accountability for those choices.”

Brian Smith took over as head coach of the Ohio Bobcats football before the 2025 season and led the team to a solid 8-4 regular-season record. However, in July, he started divorce proceedings against his wife, Liane, which didn’t end until near the end of 2025. However, according to University President Lori Stewart’s statement, Smith began a relationship with an undergraduate student after meeting her at an unnamed establishment in Athens in August.

However, Smith claims his relationship with the “student” was consensual and that he didn’t know about her ties to the university. Moreover, since the student wasn’t a member of the Athletic Department, the former head coach’s attorney said the contract agreement still stands.

Then another allegation surfaced in November. The program alleged that Brian Smith drank with his staff in his office after games and appeared intoxicated at a public event. The Bobcats fired him within a month for a cause, avoiding paying his $2.5 million buyout. However, the events surrounding his firing have sparked an interesting speculation.

Are programs firing coaches for ’cause’ to escape paying buyouts?

Ohio first placed Brian Smith on leave in early December as confusion started to surround his fate. According to his attorney, officials removed the former head coach from campus in the middle of a workday without providing a reasonable explanation. Days later, Brian Smith claimed that officials still had not formally informed him why they had sidelined him. But the timeline of events shows the program avoided paying Smith his buyout by firing him after December 1 for ’cause.’

“Had Ohio fired him without cause before that date, the university potentially could have owed him more than $2.5 million,” ON3’s Steve Samra reported. “Instead, Smith was placed on leave just after that deadline passed before eventually being terminated for cause days later. That sequence fueled speculation that financial considerations may have played a role in the university’s decision-making process.”

From 2016 to 2020, programs fired only two FBS head coaches for cause. That trend is changing now. From 2021 to 2025, schools fired a total of seven head coaches for cause. That list does not even include college basketball coaches like Jerome Tang, whom the program fired for allegedly giving his players “harsh criticism.” Or Will Wade of LSU, whom the school fired in 2022 for committing five Level 1 NCAA violations.

Although most allegations in coach firings are serious, what’s unique is that programs are deciding to fire coaches before investigations are even complete. For instance, Mel Tucker still had $80 million remaining on his contract when Michigan State laid him off before officials completed their sexual harassment investigation. Northwestern, similarly, fired Pat Fitzgerald for a hazing scandal, but later claimed “evidence didn’t establish” that a player ever reported the conduct to Fitzgerald.

Another common pattern shows that most coaches fired for cause had already underachieved on the field. Six of the seven coaches produced poor results before their programs fired them for cause. Is this tactic a new way for programs to avoid buyouts?